Changes for Olympic Baseball Qualifier

(ATR) A game clock and video review will be used in the year's top major international baseball competition and Olympic qualifier, scheduled for November.

World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) President Riccardo Fraccari on Friday announced the changes for the 2019 WBSC Premier12, the second edition of the tournament.

"Given the extreme importance of the Premier12, which will send two teams to the historic return of Olympic baseball at the Tokyo 2020 Games, we have a grave responsibility to ensure the highest integrity and fairness of the game," said Fraccari, "and this means embracing the use of available technologies to help officiate the games with the greatest possible accuracy and impartiality."

Team managers will be able to ask for video assistance and challenge an umpire's call at any time during a regulation nine-inning game. Managers will lose this right, however, after an unsuccessful challenge, but will have it restored for extra-inning games under the same conditions.

Umpire crew chiefs will be able to independently seek a video review beginning in the eighth inning.

The instant replay rules are similar to those that have been used in Major League Baseball since 2014.

In addition to instant replay, the WBSC is also introducing a game clock for the Premier12.

A 20-second pitch clock, a 30-second pitcher's mound visit clock, a 90-second pitching change clock and a 90-second between innings clock will all be enforced.

The clocks will be visible from both the field of play and the dugouts, with placements along the backstop as well as outfield fence.

"This will be the first time that game clocks are used in a major international baseball event," said Fraccari. "These changes aim to make baseball games more fast-paced and exciting to watch, particularly for younger audiences as well as global viewers who may be watching our sport for the first time."

A 20-second pitch clock was used in MLB spring training games earlier this year but has yet to be approved for the regular season. A pitch clock is used in both college and minor league baseball in the U.S.

The second edition of the WBSC Premier12 will be staged from Nov. 2-17 with opening rounds in Guadalajara (MEX), Taichung/Taoyuan (TPE) and Seoul (KOR). The top six teams advance to the Super Round to be played at the Tokyo Dome and Chiba Marine Stadium in suburban Tokyo. The final will be held at the Tokyo Dome.

Baseball's 12 best national teams will participate: No. 1 Japan, No. 2 United States, No. 3 Korea, No. 4 Chinese Taipei, No. 5 Cuba, No. 6 Mexico, No. 7 Australia, No. 8 Netherlands, No. 9 Venezuela, No. 10 Canada, No. 11 Puerto Rico and No. 12 Dominican Republic.

Written by Gerard Farek

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